Bullying in the Workplace

What is workplace bullying?

Bullying is usually seen as acts or verbal comments that could 'mentally' hurt or isolate a person in the workplace. Sometimes, bullying can involve negative physical contact as well. Bullying usually involves repeated incidents or a pattern of behaviour that is intended to intimidate, offend, degrade or humiliate a particular person or group of people. It has also been described as the assertion of power through aggression.

Is bullying a workplace issue?

Yes, bullying is a workplace issue. However, is sometimes hard to know if bullying is happening at the workplace. Many studies acknowledge that there is a "fine line" between strong management and bullying. Comments that are objective and are intended to provide constructive feedback are not usually considered bullying, but rather are intended to assist the employee with their work.

As described by WorkSafeBC, bullying and harassing behaviour does not include:

Reasonable action taken by an employer or supervisor relating to the management and direction of workers or the place of employment (e.g., managing a worker's performance, taking reasonable disciplinary actions, assigning work).

There is no way to predict who may be the bully or the target.

What are examples of bullying?

While bullying is a form of aggression, the actions can be both obvious and subtle. It is important to note that the following is not a checklist, nor does it mention all forms of bullying. This list is included as a way of showing some of the ways bullying may happen in a workplace. Also remember that bullying is usually considered to be a pattern of behaviour where one or more incidents will help show that bullying is taking place.

Examples include:

Spreading malicious rumours, gossip, or innuendo.

Excluding or isolating someone socially.

Intimidating a person.

Undermining or deliberately impeding a person's work.

Physically abusing or threatening abuse.

Removing areas of responsibilities without cause.

Constantly changing work guidelines.

Establishing impossible deadlines that will set up the individual to fail.

However, almost all jurisdictions have legislation specific to workplace violence and/or harassment. A list of which acts and regulations that cover violence/harassment is available on our website. Please note that while you can see the list of legislation for free, you will need a subscription to view the actual documentation.

Where there is no legislation which specifically addressed bullying, the general duty clause establishes the duty of employers to protect employees from risks at work. These risks can include harm from both physical and mental health aspects.

In addition, federal and provincial human right laws prohibit harassment related to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, marital status, family status, disability, pardoned conviction, or sexual orientation. In certain situations, these laws may apply to bullying.

What can you do if you think you are being bullied?

If you feel that you are being bullied, discriminated against, victimized or subjected to any form of harassment:

DO

FIRMLY tell the person that his or her behaviour is not acceptable and ask them to stop. You can ask a supervisor or union member to be with you when you approach the person.

KEEP a factual journal or diary of daily events. Record:

The date, time and what happened in as much detail as possible.

The names of witnesses.

The outcome of the event.

Remember, it is not just the character of the incidents, but the number, frequency, and especially the pattern that can reveal the bullying or harassment.

KEEP copies of any letters, memos, e-mails, faxes, etc., received from the person.

REPORT the harassment to the person identified in your workplace policy, your supervisor, or a delegated manager. If your concerns are minimized, proceed to the next level of management.

DO NOT

DO NOT RETALIATE. You may end up looking like the perpetrator and will most certainly cause confusion for those responsible for evaluating and responding to the situation.

What can an employer do?

The most important component of any workplace prevention program is management commitment. Management commitment is best communicated in a written policy. Since bullying is a form of violence in the workplace, employers may wish to write a comprehensive policy that covers a range of incidents (from bullying and harassment to physical violence).

A workplace violence prevention program must:

Be developed by management and employee representatives.

Apply to management, employee's, clients, independent contractors and anyone who has a relationship with your company.

Define what you mean by workplace bullying (or harassment or violence) in precise, concrete language.

Provide clear examples of unacceptable behaviour and working conditions.

State in clear terms your organization's view toward workplace bullying and its commitment to the prevention of workplace bullying.

Precisely state the consequences of making threats or committing acts.

Outline the process by which preventive measures will be developed.

Encourage reporting of all incidents of bullying or other forms of workplace violence.

Outline the confidential process by which employees can report incidents and to whom.

Assure no reprisals will be made against reporting employees.

Outline the procedures for investigating and resolving complaints.

Describe how information about potential risks of bullying/violence will be communicated to employees.

Make a commitment to provide support services to victims.

Offer a confidential Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to allow employees with personal problems to seek help.

Make a commitment to fulfill the prevention training needs of different levels of personnel within the organization.

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Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and completeness of the information, CCOHS does not guarantee, warrant, represent
or undertake that the information provided is correct, accurate or current. CCOHS is not liable for any loss, claim, or demand arising directly or
indirectly from any use or reliance upon the information.